On Thursday 4 August Mpilonhle and the team – Armstrong Construction and East Coast Architects – it is working with handed over facilities at two of the four football (soccer) fields that Mpilonhle is helping to build in the Umkhanyakude community.
These facilities, funded by a generous grant from HomeField Advantage Program, a joint effort of the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project and the water charity OneXOne, are much more than a football field. They include provision of water for maintaining the field, for a community laundry facility, and drinking water for students in the schools
The building project also includes change rooms and toilets. The toilets use an innovative system – Enviroloo – that uses a dry sanitation system that does not depend on chemicals. It maintains the hygiene of the toilets by chimneys attached to the cement receptacles for the waste, as can be seen in the accompanying pictures. The chimney assures that air is circulated through the receptacle, and feces quickly decompose without harming the environment and without need for a water-intensive flushing system.
The two sites where contractors turned over facilities were Silethukukhanya and Madwaleni High Schools. Silethukukhanya High School had a grass soccer field planted two years ago with assistance from the Woolworth Foundation. Woolworth along with the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project also provided for lighting of the field. The grass field is currently being planted at Madwaleni High School, and should be ready for play in December.
Attending the turnover were local community leaders, school officials, Mpilonhle staff, and Mr Ashile Maseko, the Senior Education Specialist from the Department of Education who is the Department’s liaison for the project. Learners from the schools also attended and were instructed on how to use the Enviro Loo.
Turnover at the other two fields that are being constructed – at Masibonisane and Malabela High Schools – will occur in late August.
Grand openings of the facilities at all four sites will be held later in the year.
